FOREST CHARACTERISTICS. 9 



lar, tapering very slightly, and is very free from crooks and forks. About 

 the middle of the crown, the stem divides into branches and its identity is 

 lost. The lower branches die off rapidly until the full length of the stem is 

 formed, and the scars which are left by them heal quickly and smoothly. 

 This is one of the most valuable characteristics of the tree. Water sprouts 

 occasionally appear on the trunks of trees exposed to sunlight, but the 

 stems are never injured by the growth of such sprouts, as is the case with 

 white oak. 



While the stem of the old trees usually forks within the crown, young 

 trees, particularly those in even-aged crowded stands, as a rule have 



FIG. 1. Trees of yellow poplar which have been isolated in a second-growth 

 stand by the removal of the chestnut and red oak. As a result of the isolation 

 these trees are in condition to make rapid diameter growth. Since there is no 

 undergrowth the restocking should be largely formed of poplar. (Photo Forest 

 Service.) 



